The Myth of Organic Social Media’s Decline: Why It’s MoreImportant Than Ever

Do you remember the early social media days and the feeling of pure connections it exhibited?

During those days, organic reach seemed limitless, communities were built with no ill feelings and thus thrived well, and engagement soared.

If I have to be honest, those were the golden days of social media.

Fast forward to today, and all I hear from marketers and agencies is “We’re not getting enough traction” signaling nothing but the “DEATH” of organic social media.

Hey Hey, don’t panic and make plans to throw out your editorial calendar yet. Remember that famous dialogue from the Bollywood movie, “OM Shanti OM,”

“ Picture Abhi Baaki hai Mere Dost”

So, before you hit that panic button, let’s debunk this myth together.

The truth is that Organic social media is 100% alive and kicking, and with the digital paradox surrounding us, having a strong and positive brand presence is vital.

What Makes the “Death” Narrative Flawed?

I have spent almost a decade in the “content and digital marketing” industry, so I will not deny that algorithms have changed massively and now prioritize paid content over organic reach.

Because of this transformation, social platforms like Meta (formerly Facebook) are now nothing less than a pay-to-play playground for brands and agencies.

But here’s the insider scoop nobody tells you: Most brands and agencies confuse “reach” with “relevance” and that’s a significant mistake they’re committing.

Organic social media has its merits and unique advantages that paid advertising can never offer or replicate.

STOP and Give it a Thought!

Let me share a few benefits for your better understanding. Give them a read with an open mind:

• Trust and Authenticity:

Consumers of all ages crave authentic and genuine connections with brands. Organic content lets’ you do this by showcasing your true brand personality, highlighting your values and industry experience that users find relatable.

Paid advertisements, on the contrary, can often come across as impersonal.

• Community Building:

As a brand, if you’re interacting with your customers online, you’re already on a winning pedestal since organic social media 200% thrives on nothing but communication.

By conversing, responding to comments, hosting polls, or one-to-ones with your customers, you’re unknowingly fostering a sense of community (around your brand) within the minds of folks who already love you.

Once that trust gets established, loyalty works like a charm, and these individuals, aka consumers, become your biggest advocates, thus organically amplifying your reach multifold.

• Long-term Growth:

Always remember: Paid campaigns offer you a temporary boost, but organic growth lasts and is sustainable.

So, the next time, if you have to choose between Organic Vs. Paid, always select the former.

It’s because the content you create will leave a digital footprint, attract new followers/clientele for your brand, and lay the groundwork for brand awareness over time.

Amy Porterfield (a renowned Social Marketing Expert/Author) shares her thoughts.

In her words,

Organic social media is the foundation of any social media strategy. Paid advertising can be a great tool, but it’s the organic content that builds trust and loyalty with your audience.

Even Sprout Social found in their study that 75%+ consumers prefer learning about new products from brands they trust and follow on social media.

This metric signals that organic content was, and will always remain significant in fostering brand loyalty and discovery.

Mastering Organic Social Media in the Algorithm’s Era — An Insight

Did you get the good news yet? NO. Well, that’s disheartening.

Let me do the honors and share it below:

Organic Social Media isn’t DEAD

As a fellow marketer, I understand that thriving in this ultra-modern landscape isn’t a cakewalk. It’s easier said than done.

So, let me share a few battle-tested strategies I learned while struggling and juggling a myriad of KRAs as a part of my corporate responsibilities:

1. Know Your Audience:

This has to be the primary step always. You must understand who would be the primary receivers of your content, and based on that understanding, tailor your content.

Your content should, by default, address their pain points and be in their preferred content format (text, images, or videos).

You can take valuable information from platforms like Meta Audience Insights to identify your ICP (ideal customer persona) and audience.

Here’s a storytelling example: Assume you’re a baker and own a bakery. So, instead of uploading generic product photographs, you must dive deep and share the inside story behind them. Talk about the story behind your sourdough starter that passed down generations.

Your audience will surely resonate with this personal touch, and personalization will further help you build an emotional connection with your audience.

2. Content is KING (and Queen Too):

High-quality and engaging content is the cornerstone of every organic success. So, nurture this aspect and create informative, engaging, and inspirational content for your target readers.

To break the rut, you can include valuable industry insights, anecdotes from your personal experience, or tutorials to user-generated content (UGC) challenges.

According to HubSpot’s research,

Almost 62% of consumers prefer video content to learn about a product or a brand.

So, ensure you’re leveraging video marketing in your content strategy without fail.

3. Consistency is Key:

You must roll your sleeves and create an editorial calendar for your enterprise to be successful.

Stop being a social media ghost and stick to your posting schedule. While our attention span is diminishing rapidly, a consistent posting schedule ensures that the audience engages with your content and remembers you.

If you’re a corporate slave and fail to make time to remain consistent, you can utilize social media management scheduling tools like Hootsuite and Buffer to streamline your workflow.

I am sure you’re not living under a cave, but honestly, if you haven’t yet given these tools a try, please go ahead and thank me later!

4. Be the Master of the Algorithm Game:

Understanding the algorithms is a messy affair, don’t get into it. But, please use your brain and learn to play with the rules.

Here are some tips you can utilize:

• Timing Matters: Time and again, industry experts have talked about timing from a psychological point-of-view, and surprisingly, this rule applies in our content industry as well.

Every social platform has a defined “best times to post.” Run a Google search with the keywords: Best time to post on [XYZ] platform, and note the timings.

Note: Take these Google SERP results with a pinch of salt since every web link might tell you a different time. So, research well and understand what time suits your audience the most and when they are active on your preferred platform.

Utilize this data insight and publish your content accordingly to capture their attention.

• Optimize for Engagement: Ask questions, run competitions, and encourage your audience to comment. High engagement signals the algorithm that the audience finds your content valuable, thus ranking it better.
• Hashtags: Often undermined, the hashtags can often help your content get discovered by folks searching around those particular topics. So, use relevant hashtags extensively with your content.

5. Strategically Embrace Paid Social:

Please Note: I am not against paid social media.

My viewpoint is simply that — use it strategically and cohesively.

The best approach is to use organic social media and paid media together.

For example, you can use paid promotions to boost the reach of your already high-performing organic content. This practice lets you reach an untapped audience (which you might have overlooked), and reap the benefits of organic engagement.

That’s a wrap, guys!

I hope you found this post insightful and that the complete narrative of the “DEATH of Organic Social Media” doesn’t discourage you ever from trying out new strategies for your clients and business.

Focus on upskilling your writing abilities to create stellar and valuable content. Strategically optimize the content for social media and be consistent to create a thriving online community for your brand.

Are you struggling with your organic social media reach? Drop me a message with your key challenges and let’s find out the solution together!

Featured Image courtesy: Trafficsoda